Nakuru Or Kalenjin: New MCAs At Loggerheads Over Speaker’s Seat

The newly elected 55 MCAs in Nakuru are divided over which community the next speaker should come from. With less than two weeks left before the MCAs are sworn in, the two communities are yet to come to an agreement as to which community should produce the new speaker.

The Kalenjin MCAs who want a neutral person elected have accused their Kikuyu counterparts of plaing to impose a speaker from their side.

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Kikuyu MCAs, on the other hand, want the speaker to come from their community on grounds they are the majority.

An MCA who asked not to be named said that Nakuru is a cosmopolitan county where anyone can be elected as speaker and that tribal inclinations should not be used to define which community the next speaker should come from.

“It is true there is that division but it is very wrong to start playing tribal cards on choosing the next speaker,” the MCA said.

In the previous county assembly, the speaker was Susan Kihika – a Kikuyu while her deputy was Kipkoros Tuei- a Kalenjin.

The seat of the speaker has so far attracted a host of contenders with the front ruers being Maina Kairu, clerk of the county assembly Joseph Malinda, former Subukia legislator Nelson Gaichuia, A Njeri, Zack Njeru and Waithanji Mutiti.

However, Governor-elect Lee Kinyanjui has said the next speaker must come from the Jubilee Party.

Kinyanjui’s argument is hinged on the fact that the party has the majority MCAs and thus they deserve to appoint the next speaker of the assembly.

“Just like the national assembly, Jubilee, which had the majority MPs, elected the speaker of the both houses,” he said on Thursday.

Kinyanjui sentiments were echoed by the Nakuru Jubilee Party chairman David Manyara.

Meanwhile, the Technology housing estate in Nakuru town has been declared the first open defecation-free zone in the country by the department of public health.

Nakuru County public health officer Samuel King’ori says the estate has properly maintained toilets, pit latrines, and septic tanks.

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He also said all households in the area have access to toilets, anal cleansing material, functional hand-washing facilities furnished with soap with those not able to afford detergents using ash.

All pit latrines in the estate also have a drop-hole cover if the latrine is not an Improved Ventilated Latrine (VIP), King’ori. added.